Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

13 reviews

jordan_noel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Eleanor Oliphant describes how loneliness can completely eat at a person's whole life, and yet still feel like something that must be hidden away.

Eleanor Oliphant is funny, completely un-self-aware, and refreshingly blunt with her social observations. She's continuously shocking and increasingly loveable the more you get to know her.

I felt that this book can help anyone better understand how isolating "dark thoughts" can be, and how necessary simple social interactions are to our survival and, less dramatically, our well-being. Everybody needs a friend, no one is completely self-sufficient and happy, in spite of that being exactly what society seems to want from each of us. I loved the honesty in this book; it's the only way for people to truly heal and live better lives. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Confinement, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child death, Murder, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Bullying, Gaslighting, and Mental illness

Minor: Cursing

cozyapril's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Death

shadow_seven's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

It takes a bit to get through but once your about halfway done everything slides together nicely. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Death, Self harm, Suicide, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Gaslighting, Stalking, and Bullying

It's an easy read but can be emotionally challenging as well.

jyothym's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Eleanor Oliphant is so unlike anyone I have ever met, but her experience with loneliness is so deeply relevant because it echoes that of humanity. In the modern world, loneliness has become an aspect of daily life and, in some ways, a definition of what it means to be an adult. But Eleanor's development through the book - her slowly coming out of her shell - is proof that humans are not meant to be this way. We gravitate towards one another, despite everything, because it is in our nature, and we are all we have. Love does not have to be transactional. Did you know a healed femur once evidenced human civilization? Our survival depends on and necessitates helping one another, and healing requires a community. When I read about everything Eleanor had been through, I wondered how she would ever find peace again, how she would ever forget. By the end, I had hope - she is not alone. We are not alone. 

 I loved this book overall and read it literally in maybe a night and a half!! I did have some small critiques with how the author handled some of Eleanor's trauma. I'm also overall not a huge fan of the "makeover" trope :( BUT I'm so happy with how Raymond and Eleanor's relationship was handled. There was a particular scene when Raymond was talking about his ex girlfriend that gave me a major red flag, but it was a dialogue issue if anything and I don't think it reflected his character in the rest of the book. Generally an interesting read!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Alcohol, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Minor: Rape

aimee1991's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Honestly, I didn’t like this book at all when I started it. Give this book a chance to get into it. This is easily one of my favourite books of the year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Child death, and Suicide

dannythestreet's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death of parent, Drug use, Bullying, Stalking, Violence, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Terminal illness, Murder, and Misogyny

davinemelodies's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Drug abuse

Minor: Child abuse and Fire/Fire injury

allieguthrie93's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Fire/Fire injury

aliasbooklover's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

it took me about 100 pages to get into the book. i had a hard time understanding the path the author wanted us to be on. with time, i got hooked on the characters. i especially loved the friendship between eleanor and raymond. really interesting reading experience and pov. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Alcohol

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, and Mental illness

gracebowen23's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Self harm